What Concept of Manual Therapy Is More Effective to Improve Health Status in Women with Fibromyalgia Syndrome? A Study Protocol with Preliminary Results

Carine Romane Audoux, Cecilia Estrada-Barranco, Oliver Martínez-Pozas (), Rodrigo Gozalo-Pascual, Juan Montaño-Ocaña, David García-Jiménez, Gonzalo Vicente de Frutos, Elena Cabezas-Yagüe and Eleuterio A. Sánchez Romero ()
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Carine Romane Audoux: Musculoskeletal Pain and Motor Control Research Group, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670 Madrid, Spain
Cecilia Estrada-Barranco: Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Villaviciosa de Odón, 28670 Madrid, Spain
Oliver Martínez-Pozas: Musculoskeletal Pain and Motor Control Research Group, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670 Madrid, Spain
Rodrigo Gozalo-Pascual: Musculoskeletal Pain and Motor Control Research Group, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670 Madrid, Spain
Juan Montaño-Ocaña: Musculoskeletal Pain and Motor Control Research Group, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670 Madrid, Spain
David García-Jiménez: Musculoskeletal Pain and Motor Control Research Group, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670 Madrid, Spain
Gonzalo Vicente de Frutos: Musculoskeletal Pain and Motor Control Research Group, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670 Madrid, Spain
Elena Cabezas-Yagüe: Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Villaviciosa de Odón, 28670 Madrid, Spain
Eleuterio A. Sánchez Romero: Musculoskeletal Pain and Motor Control Research Group, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670 Madrid, Spain

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 2, 1-16

Abstract: Background: Fibromyalgia (FM) is defined as a chronic syndrome characterized by diffuse musculoskeletal pain, associated with characteristic signs and symptoms such as fatigue and/or sleep and mood disorders, and whose etiology, pathogenesis and prognosis may or may not be known. There is growing evidence of manual therapy as a treatment for pain in the short and medium term, also in patients affected by FM. However, the heterogeneity of the manual therapy treatments administered are a very common clinical practice, as they are based more on the judgment or tendency of the physiotherapist, rather than on clear scientific evidence. Therefore, the aim of the present study protocol will be to determine which manual therapy approach is more effective in addressing health status by improving symptoms (sensory, cognitive, emotional and social) in patients with FM. Methods: a randomized controlled clinical trial with a 3-month follow-up will be carried out with 52 female patients affected by rheumatologist-diagnosed FM will be recruited and evaluated at the Asociación de Fibromialgia y Síndrome de Fatiga Crónica (AFINSYFACRO) in Móstoles, Madrid, Spain. For more details on the protocol, a pilot study was carried out using a non-probability method of judgmental or purposive sampling. Thirteen patients were also evaluated, treated and reevaluated; eight patients were assigned to the myofascial techniques approach (MTA) group and five to the Maitland’s mobilization approach (MMA) group. Results: the preliminary results presented here are intended to show how the planned randomized controlled clinical trial will develop. Patients who received MTA had significantly improved pain and health status outcomes after treatment and at 1-month follow-up, with no significant change in those who received MMA. Conclusions: the exact details of the study protocol on which the manual therapy approach is more effective in addressing health status by improving symptoms (sensory, cognitive, emotional, and social) in patients with FM are presented. Preliminary results show that manual therapy is effective in improving pain and health status in patients with fibromyalgia at short and medium term, with significant results in those who received MTA.

Keywords: fibromyalgia; pain; myofascial; psychological factors; quality of life; anxiety; depression (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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